At least 5,000 former Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria have abandoned the terrorist group and reintegrated into their communities, an official has confirmed.
Mairo Musa Abbas, head of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE), stated that the ex-combatants underwent rehabilitation under the government’s Operation Safe Corridor program before being reunited with their families. According to local reports, community leaders and the National Orientation Agency are monitoring their reintegration across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
Abbas highlighted the success of the “Borno Model”, a strategy designed to reintegrate former militants, and called on regional stakeholders, including governors around Lake Chad, to align their efforts for a more coordinated approach.
Counterterrorism Efforts Intensify
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force has ramped up its counterterrorism operations in Borno State, recently targeting and eliminating high-profile Boko Haram leaders while destroying key militant structures.
Boko Haram has been responsible for a violent insurgency in Nigeria since the early 2000s, carrying out mass attacks that have killed tens of thousands. Since 2015, the group has expanded its assaults to neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, resulting in at least 2,000 deaths across the Lake Chad Basin. The prolonged conflict has also displaced hundreds of thousands of Nigerians.
Authorities continue to pursue military and rehabilitation strategies to curb extremist violence and restore stability in affected regions.